Swinging ball has Aussies concerned just five months out from Ashes tour of England

George Bailey says Australia's inabilty to play the swinging ball is concerning. Source: Getty Images

TASMANIAN George Bailey admits the inability of Australia's top order to handle a swinging ball is concerning, but stopped short of calling it an epidemic just five months out from a crunch Ashes series.

Bailey, who will almost certainly lead the Australian side in today's final one-day international against Sri Lanka at Bellerive after skipper Michael Clarke rolled his ankle at training yesterday, knows his squad is under the pump after three brittle batting displays.

Australia has scored just 222, 74 and 170 in the past three matches, with the 5-305 it amassed at the MCG in the series opener seeming light years away.

Only some lower-order resistance from Mitchell Starc (52 not out) in Sydney saw the side pass 200, while Starc and spinner Xavier Doherty added 34 for the final wicket in Brisbane after the score crashed to an embarrassing 9-40.

The struggles against the moving ball have again come to the fore -- medium-pacer Nuwan Kulasekara and super-slinger Lasith Malinga have tormented the home side -- and with conditions in England traditionally favouring seamers, Bailey admits the kinks must be ironed out before the Ashes series begins in July.

"I think it's a challenge. Facing good spin is a challenge. That's cricket, in a nutshell," Bailey said.

"The swinging ball is always what bowlers try and produce because it's the hardest ball to play as a batsman. That's always going to be the type of bowling that will challenge batters."

Kulasekara (10 wickets at 12.9, economy rate of 3.3) and Malinga (nine at 15.5, economy 3.9) have taken more wickets between them this series than the entire Australian squad, consistently hitting dangerous areas and building pressure.

Following an unsuccessful Test tour, Kulasekara has shown the true art of swing bowling -- something Bailey hopes his top order can finally overcome today.

"He has been very accurate and swung the ball nicely," Bailey said.

"There is an art to that itself, when the ball is swinging to still have the control to land it where you want and there is no doubt he is bowling well and putting the ball almost exactly where he wants it more times than not.

"The challenge for us is to combat that and whether that is doing something different as a batsman, being a little sharper with your feet, putting him off his game, whatever it might be, hoping he has a bit more of an off day.

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